Shark Bytes

Wil Smith I tought actually wasn't bad in the movie, once I got acclimated to the idea of a Black James West, but Kline's Artie was a travesty (Kline admitted he'd never had any interest in the show, and never even watched a single ep as preparation for playing the role), and the movie overall, overplayed the sex angle to a degree that was semi-pornographic. But like most of these Hollywood makeovers of classic tv shows, it just could not live up to its' source material.

This show was a cult classic before it's last episode IMO. This was a show I came running home to watch everyday after school in the 70's as a kid. Most every episode was very well done and it is a shame it ended when it did. One would figure that at least 2 more good seasons were left but westerns and especially sci-fi type westerns were going to the wayside of police shows at this time. I just wished the remake movie would have been done with one of Conrad's sons than that Smith guy. Never watched the new movie and never will. I do wish a made for tv movie with one of his son's could be done for us fanatic fans who have all the DVD's of the show and memorabilia. Conrad and Martin were the very best and the show was a success for that reason!

WWW had one of the great theme songs of all time, plus the opening bit was terrific. It was pretty cool how they used that to tie in with the action and the breaks during the show.

Good show, completely preposterous of course, but a clever idea for the mid-60's...James Bond in a western, complete with gadgets that would have been impossible in the 1870's. Plus hot looking women, that always works.

First reunion movie was fun, the second was fairly inane.

This show never jumped.

Its best episodes were in the first season.

I think they were all done in black and white.

I think the only embarrassingly stupid episode of 'WWW' I ever saw was one where Jim is trying to protect the rights of some Indian tribe, and Artie pulls off a stunt where he appears as the spirit of a long-dead, fabled chief. Early PC, and not very good; not 'West' 's forte, and about as subtle as a sledgehammer. Someone told me that this episode was the final one of the series, so maybe that's the reason for the poor script. Everyone in it looked like they had very little enthusiasm for the whole thing. If it was the last episode, they picked the right time to kill off the show, as it clearly would've been headed for the downward spiral.

Otherwise, an awesome show (they really don't make 'em like that anymore) that never did jump. I don't count a single poor episode as shark material.

WWW got a little bit silly right towards the end, but overall--this show never jumped, in my opinion. I still rank it among the top ten best shows of all time.

to Mike from Aug 28. go to youtube.com. there are lots of ***** clips of the opening of the show, with the music and graphics, lots of various clips from the show as well. It shows how they changed the opening animation to make it less violent, etc.

I give Charles Aidman his props. He never tried to be another Artie, or muscle in on taking Ross Martin's place, even though for a time it definitely looked as though Martin might've been too incapacitated to return. Aidman did a good job while he was manning the helm, and was quite a good actor. I always enjoyed his performances in any role he played. Nobody could have ever taken Ross Martin's place, and it's very much to Aidman's credit that he obviously recognized this and never tried to do so.

karl marx and mark,(the last 2 posters) should just hook up already.

Whoooowee, I was about 12 when that show was on and I wanted to spank that rear end of Robert Conrad's in the worst way. I watched it mainly to see his round cheeks (that had to be padding?!!) in those if-they-were-any-tighter-they'd-rip pants. Whoever dressed that guy for that show HAD to know that women and gay guys would tune in like bees to a hive. I really hope RC's rear got what it deserved!!

Robert Conrad shirtless is enough reason to watch this show!

There is more gay S&M content in this show than all of TV before or since

And he's one of the few if not the only tough guy in the 1960's who didn't shave his chest in order to go shirtless - hooray!

And what a friggin' body he has...perfect proportions and totally ripped. A real guy, not a "boy" like today's stars. Re-runs of this show got me through my teenage years, with a lot of wet stains in my pants.

1.) Ross Martin (bless his soul) was alwaysArtie. There were other guest actors filling in, but only he was ever Artie.

2.) To this day, Robert Conrad has the all-time best male butt on television. Ever. Anywhere. Don't argue with me about this.

3.) Miguelito Loveless. This show needed no other raison d'etrethan this character.

Three big reasons why WWW will live forever. Film bastardizations notwithstanding.

Though I only saw an eighth of the eps I don't think the show jumped the shark ever but it approached the ramp a bit in the last season when Jim's hair started looking way too late 1960-ish. There was an ep in the second when sex goddess actress Leslie Parrish played a Venusian lady and she had 1960's style long straight hair but that was just for one ep. Up until I think the last season Jim had always looked like quite the western gentleman. As for eps where Artie was temporaily replaced by "Gerald" never saw them but Charles Aidman, like Ross Martin, was a fine actor and they probably worked as eps too.

As for the tv reunion films of 1979 and 1980 I say this. I didn't completely care for the way Artie and Jim were no longer a spy team at the beginning of the '79 film but then I looked at it this way. they were appointed by Pres. Grant and when Grant left office we're supposed to think his replacement (Rutherford B. Hayes) probably dismissed the fine spy team of Artie and Jim just because tehy were Grant's boys.

I didn't see the theatrical WWW film.

This show never jumped. CBS were constantly on the producers asses to lower the level of violence in the show. Eventually, Katzman and Lansbury decided they would not soften the show any more, saying that it would lose its key qualities. They canned the series themselves while it was still very high in the ratings. My favorite scene from the show (can't remember which episode) was when Jim West was stuck down a well with only a tin bucket. He produced some explosives from the heel of his shoe, packed them around the rim, turned the bucket upside-down, stood on it and lit the fuse. BANG, up he went, catching a cross bar and climbing out. It must be nearly 40 years since I saw that scene and I still remember it. Inventive, far-fetched, unlikely to work, who cares!